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It’s not every day you see a helicopter carry a plane out of harm’s way.
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But that was the case just north of 100 Mile House this weekend, when a small aircraft had to be rescued after it sank into Watson Lake.
“A weak freeze I don’t think was safe enough,” said Eva, a local resident who witnessed the rescue.
GALLERY: The story of the helicopter rescue in pictures
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The plane's propeller went through the ice on Watson Lake on Saturday, November 15.
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It was attempting to turn after landing when it broke the ice. The man inside, an experienced flyer, went to get help.
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Attempts to rescue the plane on Saturday by manually lifting the wings up proved futile - so drastic measures were needed.
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Namely, a helicopter.
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On Sunday, November 16, it came to pull the plane out.
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On Sunday, November 16, it came to pull the plane out.
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There it goes.
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The helicopter flew high in the air (as helicopters do) to transport the plane to safety
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Once the plane was in the air, the entire trip took less than a minute.
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It landed safely.
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The plane was unhinged from the helicopter without duress.
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The plane was unhinged from the helicopter without duress.
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On Sunday afternoon, it was sitting in a field next to Watson Lake.
She said that on Saturday, two small craft were testing takeoffs and landings on the lake. One of the planes was able to land, but when it turned around, the front wheel went through the ice.
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The plane’s propeller got stuck under the ice, making attempts to lift the wings up futile.
However, they put sawhorses under the wings overnight, and on Sunday were able to get a helicopter to pluck it out.
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